Sioux Falls Is One of the Worst Places in America To Plant a Garden

As someone who has been engaging in a lifelong battle to try to get anything to grow in a garden and has failed spectacularly each and every time, I have a profound appreciation for anyone who has a 'green thumb'.

And now I have a newfound respect for anyone in this part of the world who is a success in the garden because it turns out the deck is stacked against us.

Thrillist has released a list of the best places for urban gardening in America, compiled by LawnStarter, which ranks cities based on a dozen factors including things like climate, access to supplies, and average yard size.

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The finally tally shows Sioux Falls, home to the shortest growing season of any of the biggest 150 cities in the country (148 days), as the second-worst place in America for urban gardening, behind only Anchorage, Alaska.

WORST CITIES FOR URBAN GARDENING (LawnStarter)

1. Anchorage, Alaska
2. Sioux Falls, South Dakota
3. Chicago, Illinois
4. Colorado Springs, Colorado
5. Aurora, Colorado
6. Detroit, Michigan
7. Columbus, Ohio
8. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
9. St. Paul, Minnesota
10. Omaha, Nebraska

Out of 150 cities, Sioux Falls ranked 149th in climate and 148th in both gardening environment and profit potential.

The only respectable showing we had was a 79 in the social environment category.

It's not surprising that all of the top ten worst places are in cold-weather states or that the entire best list is made up of places that have an abundance of warm weather and sunshine year-round.

BEST CITIES FOR URBAN GARDENING (LawnStarter)

1. Fort Lauderdale, Florida
2. Hialeah, Florida
3. Huntington Beach, California
4. St. Petersburg, Florida
5. Atlanta, Georgia
6. Glendale, California
7. Anaheim, California
8. Baton Rouge, Louisiana
9. Miami, Florida
10. Ontario, California